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Spiritwolf Initiation
It is often asked among the vagabond people who have met the nomadic Spiritwolf Tribe, how does one join their wandering tauren society. Most tend to expect complicated procedures that must be followed strictly by everyone that tries to join... however, that is not true, although we must note there are two kinds of initiation. The Prairie Wolf Before one can become a true Spiritwolf, he must for a time wander among their people and learn their respects, proving himself as a honourable tauren. It is in this time that this so called "initiate" (such as they are referred to in modern orc clans) . ]] builds his foundations for his future life in the tribe. The tribesmen refer to an initiate as a Prairie Wolf. There is no clear meaning to this name, though it has been used since ages. The meaning probably hides in the fact that the initiate is picked up in the prairie as he wanders tribeless. To become a prairie wolf in the first place, all that is required is to contact one of the elders and do a task they assign to you whatever the nature. Then, they will perform a rather minor ceremony and bless as a "Soon-to-be-Spiritwolf". One tauren is then required to follow the elder's orders and help the other tribesmen in daily tasks for the period of four weeks. If he behaves well during this time, he will then take part of his Rite of the Prairie Wolf. If not, however, he is like to be expelled from the tribe - not exiled, as exile is a far griever thing in the tauren society - and thus sent away to seek wisdom in the wilderness and then return. Most such "failwolves" as the Wolves jokingly refer to them do not return, either killed in the wild or finding another tribe, or military order that suits them better. While it is true that the prairie wolf is required to display the utmost obedience to the elders, as well as the tribesmen, he is contrary to popular belief not treated like crap. Instead, he is simply expected to behave appropriately, and treated as if he were a tribesman. Disrespectful prairie wolves are punished for disobedience if it is severe, and in rare cases, expelled. Rite of the Prairie Wolf After a while, depending on the Prairie Wolf's behaviour, the elders announce that he is to "take his rites". These change from individual to individual, but are generally designed to express the same values. The exact procedure of his rite is not known to an initiate until the rite is actually meant to happen. However, before that, there are severe preparations. From the time the elders announce the date of his rite-taking, he is required to fast and remain entirely silent. That is believed to help in the cleansing of his spirit, banishing the evil spirits from his body (evil spirits may be simply ill thoughts, pessimism ...). Then, the Prairie Wolf is sent into the wilderness to stay there for one whole day, stripped of all clothes and signs of civilisation. He is to meditate and pray all the time and thank the Earthmother and ask for her blessing. During this time, most tauren usually also receive their Rite of Vision, where they meet their totem animal, a spirit that resembles his personality and is throughout life taken example of throughout the tauren's life. Once a day passes, the tauren returns to the tribe and then his becoming of a tribesman is announced to the tribe and a feast takes place, concluding with prayers and thanks to the Earthmother. The tribesman's face and chest is painted in colours of white and red, and he has to make a small wooden carving of his chosen totem animal during this celebration. The feasts often involve the tribe's traditional howling and spirit dances, where shamans put on wolf customs and dance to the sound of the drums. Category:Lore